We did nothing wrong at nightclub, say Mason and O'Meley

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Witch-hunt: Bulldogs stars Willie Mason and Mark O'Meley say they
are being victimised whenever they are out in public.Photo: Simon Alekna

EXCLUSIVE

Angry senior Bulldogs players Willie Mason and Mark O'Meley have
vehemently rejected claims that they were kicked out of a Central
Coast nightclub and say they are the victims of a witch-hunt
whenever they go out in public.

The Bulldogs are incensed about a newspaper report that Mason,
O'Meley and injured fullback Luke Patten were thrown out of the
Central Coast Leagues Club last weekend for being intoxicated.

Speaking for the first time since the controversy flared, the
premiership-winning forwards said they were not ejected. Mason and
O'Meley insisted they left of their own accord but overzealous
security guards had followed them out and made the situation look
worse than it was.

Mason said a security guard at the venue had ignored revellers
next to them who were more intoxicated than they were, and bouncers
were unfairly targeting league players.

"There were blokes dancing on tables next to us," Mason said.
"There are blokes being idiots next to us, yet we're being
discriminated against because we're football players.

"I'm not an idiot. I know how to act in public. That's what's
frustrating. The security guards target you.

"They make a big scene and all of a sudden there's 10 security
guards around us. There was no scene. That's what pisses you
off.

"You have a good night and a security guard wants to be a hero.
I said to the bloke, 'Look what you've done. You've made a massive
scene out of nothing'. I didn't give him a mouthful, I just said
he'd made something out of nothing."

Mason, O'Meley and Patten were drinking at the club after
attending a fund-raiser for local team Terrigal. While the players
do not deny they were drinking, and it is understood Patten was
asked to leave the club because he was inebriated, they say claims
they were binge drinking are unfounded.

Central Coast Leagues Club general manager John Keene released a
statement to the media on Friday night saying the players were not
intoxicated when they arrived at the club and security had not had
to escort them from the premises.

"We would welcome any players or members of the Bulldogs club at
the Central Coast Leagues Club in the future," Keene's statement
said.

O'Meley said the incident looked worse than it was. "The
frustrating thing is that the security guards were just walking
behind us, so it looked like we'd done something wrong," he said.
"It's not a crime to enjoy a beer."

The Bulldogs are seething at the report in The Daily
Telegraph and believe it was part of a campaign against them
by News Ltd.

"They've obviously got a vendetta against us," O'Meley said.
"They've been giving it to us since I first got here with the
salary cap crisis. Every year they try to dig something up about
the Bulldogs."

The Bulldogs are also infuriated that the newspaper started a
rumour suggesting animosity between halves combination Braith
Anasta and Brent Sherwin. The rumour has become widespread in
league circles.